In The Middle
by Anasatsia98
Summary: Delaeney Emerson- Gale was left with the Heck family at age four. As she grows older, she notices how things change and shift. Delaeney has big dreams for a small town girl. Can she make those dreams come true.
1. Pilot

_Some people call this place the middle of nowhere._

 _You know, one of those places you fly over on your way from somewhere else to somewhere else but wouldn't live there._

 _Well, look down next time and you'll see us down here in the middle- Orson, Indiana, heart of the heartland, proud home of Little Betty snack cakes, the demolition derby for the homeless, and the world's largest polyurethane cow._

 _Guess it all started a couple of weeks ago, and no, I'm not an actual superhero. Not unless you count getting my kids up every morning and out the door for school every morning._

~8~

An annoyed scoffed left the lips of Delaeney Emerson-Gale as she looked at her empty bedside table. Well, mostly empty. Her empty container of hand lotion and Chapstick were still there, but the only thing she really needed wasn't. Delaeney swung her legs over the side of her bed, cursing in annoyance as she looked around the blurred room. Everything was a fuzzy outline of shapes, and she was thankful that her vision wasn't any worse or else she would've walked into the door.

"Axl!" Delaeney shrieked, running down the stairs and sliding to a stop in the kitchen. Huffing, she tried to settle the mass of auburn hair the had frizzed up at the sudden halt before glaring at the smirking teen in front of her, "Where are my glasses?"

 _That's Delaeney._

 _She's not ours._

 _Delaeney's parents were our friends but they were no longer capable of taking care of Laynee. So, when she was 4, we took her in. Her parents send us checks in thanks of taking care of her and often send her presents and cards. Laynee gets along great with everyone here, but her relationship with Axl is… special. They are very close but very distant at the same time. She shares a room with Sue but sometimes she has sleepovers with Axl. She happens to call us Mom and Dad, not that we mind._

"Why would I know where your glasses are?" Axl said, not bothering to look at her as he looked through the fridge, a grimace crossing his face as he stared at the bag of salad in front of him.

"Axl," Delaeney's voice was low and warning, "I still need to get ready and, I'm not sure if you can comprehend this, I actually need those glasses to see."

"That doesn't sound like my problem." Axl shrugged as he closed the fridge and leaned against the counter, boredly looking at the girl in front of him. The two teens ignored the rush of people trying to get in and out of the kitchen, their eyes locked and neither of them dared to back down. Delaeney inwardly smirked when Axl's eye gave a twitch and she was quick to blow a gush of air in his face, smiling when he blinked.

"I won! Now give me back my glasses." Delaeney cheered as she held out her hand expectedly. Axl scoffed before reaching behind him and handing her the black, semi-circular glasses. Flashing Axl a bright smile, Delaeney quickly rushed back up the stairs and changed before shoving the rest of her homework in her bag and heading back down the stairs. A look of confusion crossed her face as she stared at the three pages in front of her. They were obviously Brick's, but she had no idea how they ended up in her room. Delaeney scrunched up her nose in thought, didn't he come to her room last night with some questions?

"Mom, where's my homework?" She heard Brick ask as she entered the kitchen and placed her bag down on one of the dining room chairs.

"Here, Brick," Delaeney said, dropping the papers in Brick's lap as she passed the table and made her way into the laundry room. Bending down to grab her shoes, Delaeney turned her head to come face-to-face with Sue, who was holding a pair of ruined leg warmers and was pouting. Delaeney opened her mouth to question why Sue had a pair of leg warmers- and why she had decided to get them in such an ugly, pink color- before changing her mind and leaving the laundry room.

Sliding on her shoes and not bothering to tie them, she grabbed her bag and she left the kitchen. Scratching her nose, Delaeney swiped Axl's jacket from where it rested on the couch and slid it on, ignoring the look of annoyance that Axl gave her.

"Feel free to wear mine," Delaeney teased as Axl, Sue, and Brick joined her by the door. Axl scoffed and rolled his eyes as he opened the door for her. Giving the door a sharp jerk, a smirk graced his lips as he heard Sue cry out annoyance before hearing the bang as she slammed the door open. Sue stormed out of the house and glared at Axl before her eyes widened at the sight of her backpack in his grasp. Delaeney turned when she heard a grunt of frustration, and she couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Sue jumping as she tried to reach her bag.

"Mom." Sue cried when she realized that there was no chance of getting her bag from Axl, and Axl mimicked her cry as he held the bag up even higher. Sue stomper her foot in frustration a few moments later before turning to look at Frankie, "Mom, he's not giving me my backpack. Mom!"

The smile didn't leave Delaeney's face as she let out a sigh of fake annoyance at Sue and Axl's childish behavior. Looking down at Brick, Delaeney held out her hand and, when he grasped it, made her way to the car. The four of them had already missed the bus and Frankie was lucky enough that she didn't have to go to work until later. Glancing back at the two bickering siblings, Delaeney shook her head. There was a chance that Frankie was going to be late to work today.

~8~

Hearing the door slam shut and the shout if 'I made dinner', Delaeney lifted her head from the side of the couch to look at a flustered Frankie as she made rushed into the kitchen, trying her best not to drop any of the food. Not that she would ever tell anybody, but Delaeney was thoroughly impressed that Frankie could carry six bags of food without dropping any. Lifting her body from the couch, Delaeney walked to the kitchen and grabbed her bag, which was easy because she was the only one who liked to get chicken nuggets, before heading back to the couch.

Delaeney watched with a raised eyebrow as Axl snatched his food before he turned to head back to his room. She couldn't be let out a snicker, ignoring the glare that Axl shot her. It seemed that he was still bitter about losing the bet they had made during homeroom.

"Hey, underpants," Frankie called, stopping Axl in his tracks. Delaeney shoved a handful of fries in her mouth as she watched the interaction between the two. She could practically feel the annoyance roll off Axl, "We are a family and we are going to eat together as a family.

"Come sit here, honey." Delaeney cooed, patting the seat which her legs occupied, and she couldn't stop the laugh that left her mouth. Axl was _such_ a sore loser. Shoving Delaeney's legs off the cushion, Axl plopped himself down and snatched a handful of Delaeney's fries, ignoring her cry of irritation.

"This is okay. Quick," Frankie turned from the TV to face her family and took a sip of her soda, "Let's hear about everybody's day."

"Mine sucked," Axl stated.

"Next."

"You know, mine was actually pretty great," Delaeney said, giving Axl a bright smiled before wincing when he shoved her shoulders.

"Great."

"Well, ahem, I'm trying to decide what number I should do for my show choir audition," Sue announced as she sat up straight and stared at her family, a smile on her face.

"Really?" Delaeney asked as her eyebrows shot to her forehead in disbelief, sharply elbowing Axl in the side of his mutter of 'Oh my God'.

"What?" Axl gave Delaeney a bemused look before turning to look at Sue, "Does it really matter what song you pick? Cause there's no way you're gonna make it."

"Mom," Sue cried, hurt filling her eyes and Frankie sighed.

"Mike." Frankie gave a warning look to her husband, who sighed and placed down his burger.

"Axl."

Delaeney lazily shoved the rest of her fries in her mouth and got up, shoving Axl's legs off her. Honestly, the consistency of arguments that went on at dinner time were as annoying as they were amusing. Delaeney inwardly winced as she remembered the hurt that filled Sue's eyes at Axl's words. It bothered her how much the sibling's relationship had changed once they both hit middle school. Even though she understood that Sue could be seen as embarrassing, that didn't mean that Axl had to shoot her down every time she wanted to do something.

~8~

If glares could kill people, Axl would've been dead by now.

Delaeney could practically see the steam pouring out of Mike's ears as he scolded the two teens in front of him, but neither of them cared enough to take their glares off one another. If Axl knew when to shut his mouth, Delaeney wouldn't be in this predicament. But, no, Axl had to open his big mouth and get in trouble and, like the good friend she was, ended up getting her into trouble.

"Now you're suspended for three games?" Mike exploded, "What the hell is the matter with you? You should be glad that Delaeney was able to shorten it to three games, but now you've given her three detentions."

Delaeney didn't even blink at the sound of the door slamming. Making sure that Axl had her full attention, she pointed to him before slowly dragging her finger across her neck, ignoring the gesture Axl made the moment she put her hand down.

"What did they do?" Frankie's exasperated voice entered the room and Mike turned to face his wife, shaking his head in disbelief.

"He called his coach a moron, and when Laynee tried reasoning with the coach, he gave her three detentions!"

Axl tore his gaze off Delaeney as he scowled at his dad, "You always call him a moron."

"He called for a bombon fourth and one." Delaeney quoted Axl, looking at Frankie and Mike innocently.

Mike's face was practically red from anger, "You think you're some sort of big shot just cause you to play ball? Well, the smart-mouth attitude foes away today."

"Whatever," Axl scoffed as he rolled his eyes. Now, Delaeney didn't always like to see Axl get in trouble, but lately, he's been a pain in the ass and she felt like he deserved to get yelled at or something. Leaning back in the chair, Delaeney shot Axl a smug look as she crossed her arms.

"That's it. Go to your room."

Axl huffed and got up, grasping Delaeney's arm and pulling her up with him before dragging her behind him. Delaeney didn't bother to resist. It's not like she had anything better to do.

"No, wait." Mike said, and the two teens froze, "You like your room. Go to Sue's room."

Axl groaned in irritation as he slid his hand down Delaeney's so that he could grasp her hand. With a gentle tug, he began to lead Delaeney to her and Sue's shared room only for Mike to yell,

"Delaeney, got to Axl's room."

Delaeney groaned before releasing Axl's hand and heading down the hall, passing Brick's room and her room. Looking at Axl, she gripped his doorknob tightly as he gave her a sharp nod, both of them slamming the doors at the same time. Pursing her lips, Delaeney turned to look around the room. Although she had been in here many, many times before, she wasn't quite sure what there was to do around here.

With a groan, she flopped face first onto the bed.

~8~

Delaeney watched in awe as the show choir performed, her eyes landing on the pregnant teen. Delaeney couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, impressed that the dress somehow made her look thin. Seeing Sue actually accomplish something in her life, it was… it was amazing. If she were honest, the show choir was quite a cringe-worthy show, but she was here for Sue and to see what she had been working so hard on.

Speaking of Sue, Delaeney leaned over and whispered in Axl's ear, "I don't see Sue."

Axl's brows furrowed as he straightened his shoulders and his eyes roamed the stage. Delaeney watched his expression carefully, hoping that he would be able to see something with his height.

"What-no way. Sue's on stage crew." Axl managed to get out before a cackle escaped his lips, "That's the only thing lamer than the actual show choir."

Delaeney nodded her head and turned her attention back on the stage. Watching with wide eyes as Sue raced on stage, Delaeney's heart began to race as she slipped and… let's just say that the night ended with Sue getting kicked off the squad.

~8~

 _Now, I know this is my life. It's not gonna be in People Magazine or in anything, but you know what, I got it good._


	2. The Cheerleader

_Out in the middle, people are straight shooters. They just say it like it is. Well, I got two of those types in my house as well. Mike and Delaeney seem to find joy in giving people the dead truth. Now, it's not bad to be an honest person but sometimes it's not the right moment to be honest. Luckily, Laynee takes it on herself to be brutally honest when she's in a bad mood and the rest of the time she tries to be encouraging. Key word is tries._

~8~

If she was Mr. Snow Miser, then Axl had to be Mr. Heat Miser. Delaeney could practically feel his body shrivel up as her ice, cold feel rested against his bare legs. Axl didn't move, but Delaeney could feel his glare from beside her. It wasn't her fault that he decided to walk around the house in nothing but his underwear; in fact, if he wore pants, then this wouldn't be a problem for him.

Delaeney smugly glanced up at Axl is she popped a fry into her mouth, engaging in the staring contest that both teens refused to lose. If Axl wanted her to get off his legs, then he needed to stop stealing all her fuzzy socks. Plus, he never wore them so she didn't understand why he kept taking them. Their glares were unrelenting and, before she could even process what happened, Axl grabbed an ice cube from his cup and shoved it down her shirt. Delaeney shrieked at the sudden coolness, interrupting whatever conversation was occurring, before she shoved her hands—which were also freezing cold—against Axl's chest, causing him to yelp.

"Hey," Frankie snapped, catching the two teens attention. Dark brown eyes and light blue ones met her and she lazily shook her finger, "Enough. Sue's talking."

Untangling themselves from one another, Delaeney rested her head on Axl's chest as he lazily wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Axl didn't complain or comment about Delaeney's cold feet pressing against his legs, nor did Delaeney comment about the cool ice cube slipping down her back.

"Do you want to come watch me swim laps at the pool?" Sue asked, and Delaeney almost winced at the amount of hope in that question. There was no doubt in her mind that Mike was going to say no… like all the other times.

She was correct.

"Sounds boring," Mike stated before taking a bite of his burger, his eyes never leaving the TV screen.

"Mike," Frankie warned, and Delaeney turned her attention away from the TV and towards the two adults. There was nothing more amusing than Mike not understanding Frankie and Frankie trying to get Mike to understand. Honestly, it was like watching her own personal soap opera.

"It does," Mike defended, not understanding why Frankie wasn't agreeing with what he was saying.

To his credit, Mike did have a point. Who would want to watch their daughter swim laps in the pool for hours? Delaeney softly shook her head at the thought. Definitely not her. Maybe if her kid was still in elementary school she would, but if her kid was in middle school, they were on their own.

"Mike." Frankie tried again, her eyes flickering from him to the hurt look on Sue's face and Delaeney almost laughed at the look of confusion that passed over Mike's face.

"You saying my name over and over doesn't make it sound less boring." Mike stated, his brows raised and Frankie looked as if she wanted to smash her head against a table.

 _But sometimes the family needs more than honesty. It needs a cheerleader, and that's me._

"You know, Sue, I think what your dad is saying is that it sounds like a lot of fun," Frankie smoothly said, trying to cover the harsh reality of Mike's words. Delaeney giggled at the look of betrayal on Mike's face after hearing Frankie's words. It almost looked as if she had agreed to letting his family stay over for Christmas.

"I'll come, Sue." Delaeney said as she leaned forward to grab her drink. From beside her, Axl groaned at the sudden loss of coolness and pulled her back. Sure, as much as he hated how cold Delaeney's feet were, he always felt overheated and she always seemed to balance it out. Not bothering to comment on Axl's action, she placed her feet back on his legs, "I got this new swimsuit I've been dying to wear."

The only person who saw Axl raise his eyebrows was Frankie, a smirk covering her face before quickly disappearing.

Delaeney pulled the blanket tighter around her lap and carelessly brushed the crumbs that had collected there into Axl's lap, to which he brushed onto the floor. Brushing a strand of her hair out of her face and pushing her glasses up, Delaeney glanced up at Axl—who was focused on the TV—and pressed a finger against his chin.

"You have a zit right there." She stated and Axl scowled as he reached to swat her hand away, which she luckily moved away before he could.

"Shut up, Laynee." Axl grumbled as he focused his attention back on the TV. Delaeney followed his action and soon was transfixed on the TV.

The rattling had started out small, like the buzz of a mosquito, and she was able to ignore it. However, it was when the rattling consisted and seemed to grow louder did her concentration finally break and her irritation grow.

"The dryer's making that noise again," Brick said, before leaning down and whispering, "Noise again."

"What noise?" Frankie asked, fully enraptured in the show, "Your dad fixed it. It's working great now."

"How can you not hear it?" Delaeney muttered to herself as she rolled her eyes at Frankie's ignorance, cracking her knuckles against her head.

"Damn thing's on its last legs. I can't hear the TV," Mike commented, aggravation clear on his face and Delaeney couldn't help but nod in agreement. She didn't understand how Axl and Frankie were able to drown out the sound.

Frankie shook her head, "No, we can't afford a new dryer right now. It's fine."

Delaeney pursed her lips at Frankie's comment as her mind raced. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Delaeney bit her lip before opening her mouth, "Mom, my, uh, _parents_ check should be arriving soon. You could use that to buy a new dryer."

To be completely honest, Delaeney had no idea what to call her parents. They had left her with the Heck's at such a young age, she didn't remember much about them. She knew that they signed their letters with the names: Jacob and Rebecca, but she wasn't sure if those were their real names.

God, her family was so weird.

"Aw, thanks, sweetie. Did anyone get the mail?" Frankie asked as she stood, her attention quickly turning towards Axl, "Get more pop."

When Axl blatantly ignored his mother's command, Delaeney looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. There was no way that Frankie or Mike was going to let him get away with sitting. Instead, Axl tightened his grip around Delaeney and continued to watch the TV.

"Axl, come on. Let's go." Mike commanded after giving his son a few seconds to get up. The groan vibrated around Axl's chest and he sluggishly got up before making his way towards the counter, Mike right behind him.

Delaeney didn't bother to stop the giggle from escaping her lips. She _loved_ when Axl got in trouble. He always seemed to add a dramatic flare to everything he did and acted ten times lazier than he normally was. Delaeney shook her head at the thought, he was such a drama queen.

"Shut up," Axl shouted at Delaeney from the kitchen as he grabbed two Coke's from the fridge.

"I'm not the loser who has to be followed by his parents for two weeks," Delaeney shot back, regret immediately filling her as Axl walked back into the room, Mike behind him, with a cocky smirk in his eyes. The moment he set down the soda, Delaeney knew she was screwed. It only took a mere matter of seconds, in which Delaeney tried to prepare herself, before Axl launched himself onto the couch and squished Delaeney.

"Axl, get off!" Delaeney shrieked as she tried to worm her way out from underneath Axl. Cursing herself, she pushed against Axl's chest and groaned when he didn't budge. Even though he was thin and lithe, he was a football player and Delaeney knew that she wasn't weak.

 _Axl had told us he was at church group when he was actually sticking his tongue down some girl's throat at the mall. So, he had to stay within 5 feet of a parent at all times._

"Oh my God, Mike!" Delaeney heard Frankie scream from the kitchen, and Delaeney used the sudden distraction to push Axl onto the ground, laughing when he hit the ground with a thud. The sound of Frankie's harsh, rough footsteps caught Delaeney's attention and she looked up, "It's 2009."

Delaeney watched as Mike jumped out of his chair and rushed over to Frankie, taking the bills from her hand and shuffling through them. Panic was evident in both adults' eyes and Delaeney raised her eyebrow.

"What?" Mike asked, his brows furrowing in confusion, "Already?"

"Yeah, Mike. How did this happen?" Frankie said, throwing her arms in the air as Mike continued to shuffle through the payments and loans that were presented to him.

"Um, no payments till 2009?" Delaeney guessed and pulled the blanket to her chin as Axl climbed back on the couch, roughly shoving Delaeney aside to make room for him. She ignored his harsh movement as her mind reeled through all the times Mike and Frankie returned items and saying 'no payments till 2009'.

Frankie huffed, 'Great. Now with our interest, we owe six-hundred and fifty dollars on a VCR we sold at the garage sale last year for two bucks."

Delaeney watched in confusion—and a bit of horror—as Frankie's entire aura shifted from panic to complete calmness. She didn't understand how Frankie could so easily calm herself in time of panic. If it were her, Delaeney would be freaking out and wondering how she would be able to pay for everything.

"Mom… you good?" She asked, shoving Axl's legs off her lap and onto the floor. There was no way that she was going to let him put his nasty-ass feet on her lap.

"Yeah, these things have a way of working themselves out. As long as the dryer hangs on and I sell a car this month, we're gonna be fine."

At Axl' scoff at his mother's words, Delaeney dug her elbow into his side, effectively shutting him out. She nodded understandingly, and a bit confusedly, before focusing her attention back on the TV and relaxing into the couch.

Now, the humming and clanging of the dryer was normal, but it was when the clanging got faster did Delaeney look towards the laundry room. The dryer had never been this loud, nor had it been this obnoxious. It was to the point where she could barely hear the TV and Axl's snide remarks. Shifting up, which the rest of the family coping her actions, she leaned forward and tried to get a closer look.

Unbeknownst to her, Axl had wrapped his arms around her small form and angled her body so that he would be able to block anything that would fly their direction. Delaeney watched with wide eyes as the dryer tipped over, her body shrinking into Axl, as a loud crash reverberated around the room.

 _Fortunately, out here, you always have neighbors you can count on._

"Hi!" Delaeney flashed the young woman—whom Delaeney guessed was in her early twenties—a charming smile and shifted the laundry basket on her hip higher up, "My name is Delaeney Emerson-Gale. My dryer broke and my parents aren't home, so I was wondering if I could use yours?"

"Of course!" The woman smiled before moving out of the door way, "It's down the hall, towards the left."

"Thank you so much!" Delaeney said and carefully followed the women's directions towards where the laundry room was. With a sigh, she popped open the dryer and began shoving her and Sue's clothes in.

 _So the busted dryer piled on to the whole 2009 thing meant that we were gonna have to cut corners fast. First up, a trip to the Frugal Hoosier, Indiana's number one expired food store._

~8~

"So are we, like, poor now?" Axl asked Frankie as Sue, Brick, Delaeney, and him trailed after her, watching as she chucked in cans of food. His hand loosely clung to Delaeney's and Delaeney winced at the sweatiness of his palm, her hand a pale contrast to his warm one.

"No, we're not poor," Frankie said, dropping another can into the cart before stopping in front of the frozen food section, "We're just thrifty. We're trying something new called 'living within our means'."

Delaeney's eyes widened at Frankie's words, "You mean, we've been living outside our means? Oh, God."

"You should be thanking me," Frankie stated, turning and pointing at Delaeney, momentarily distracted from the rows of unlabeled cans, "Listen, smart consumers—they're the kids who are popular."

"Oh," Delaeney nodded, understandingly, "So, like, my parents."

Frankie nodded in response, her heart practically melting as Axl wrapped his arms around Delaeney's shoulders and pulled her close to his chest. There was no doubt in her mind that Axl and Delaeney were going to end up married. Heck, she had practically been a Heck since the moment her parents realized their inability to take care of her.

Shaking her head, Frankie picked up one of the cans and handed it to Brick before giving one to Sue and Delaeney. She didn't bother giving one to Axl for she knew that he was bound to throw it at someone, or something.

"Brick, shake some of those unmarked cans and see if you can find peas," Frankie commanded before turning to face the open isle of the store, "Okay? We're listening for peas, people."

Shaking the can vigorously, Delaeney strained her ears as she tried to listen to the soft rattle that peas let off. She was aware of how stupid she looked, but Brick had spent a majority of his childhood shaking cans that Frankie and Mike gave him instead of rattles. Over time, the sound of peas and corn became quite distinct… and the fact that he had a habit of throwing them at her, Axl, and Sue.

The sudden ring from Frankie's phone spooked Delaeney and she jumped, watching in horror as the can fell out of her grasp and smashed to the floor. Frankie hurriedly waved for her to put it back on the shelf and grab a new one—which she did—as she elbowed Axl harshly in the side, effectively stopping his snickers.

After shaking the can for a few seconds, Delaeney tossed it into the cart. Looking up, she caught the odd look Sue was sending her way, and responded with a raised brow. Sue immediately looked the other way and Delaeney shook off the nagging voice in the back of her head.

"Okay, kids, new plan." Frankie said, catching Delaeney's attention, as she hung up, "Gotta go to work early."

"What?" Sue complained as she crossed her arms and looked at Frankie, hurt and disappointed, "But what about the pool? You promised you'd watch me practice for swim tryouts."

"Any you said that you would take me to the library," Brick added, nodding in agreement with Sue, " _The Wheel of Nuldiod—_ I have to get it before anyone else gets it. You promised

 _Promised.  
_

"Okay," I know I didn't promise that many things. I'm not that nice," Frankie sighed, internally wincing at the crushed looks that covered Brick and Sue's face. Looking at Delaney, the teen shrugged. She had promised Sue and Brick those things and it wasn't their fault that they didn't forget.

Heck's never seemed to forget a promise.

~8~

"I love this book."

"I love this book."

"I love this book." Brick chanted under his breath, clutching the book tightly to his chest and staring determinedly at the library check out.

"I hate my life."

"I hate my life."

"I ha—"Axl chanted, his eyes trailing Delaeney as she paced through a row of books.

"You got 5 feet, mister. Use all of it." Frankie pointed out and Axl shot back like a rocket.

Delaeney's green eyes flickered to where Frankie seemed to be arguing with the attendant. She finally had the book she need and now all she had to do is check it out without anyone asking questions. She _knew_ that Axl was watching. She also _knew_ that if he hadn't been punished, he would be standing right next to her and there would be no way for her to get this book. Taking her time, she waited for Axl to turn to make a snide remark, and quickly shoved the book up her jacket front. She'd have to be careful; she couldn't let anyone see.

Laynee watched Frankie lead Brick and Sue out the door muttering something to Brick along the lines of 'More TV is good for you'. Laynee also noticed that Axl was hanging back and waiting for her.

"I'll be right there." She reassured him and he narrowed his eyes.

"Hurry up."

Once making sure that he could no longer see her, she ducked into the front of the line and check-out her book before shoving it up into her jacket again. She turned and ran straight out the door with one hand on her stomach holding the book in place. She finally caught Frankie's car from the corner of her eye and go in.

"Where'd you go, doll." Frankie asked they drove away.

"Oh, you know, just looking around."

~8~

The heat from the sun had made the chair extremely uncomfortable to sit on. Her skin stuck to the warm plastic and she groaned in disgust at the amount of sweat that was beginning to coat her forehead. Her back was the worst, though. The bikini top she was wearing had an open back and she winced as she sat up, feeling her skin slowly peeling off the chair.

"I'm getting a drink. Anyone else want one?" Delaeney asked, standing up and staring down at her three male companions. Brick started numbly at the pool while Axl groaned in response, Mike shooing her away and she rolled her eyes at them.

Take Axl away from the AC, he pretends to die. Take a book away from Brick, he acts as though his life has no meaning. Make Mike do something he doesn't want to do; he sits there emotionlessly.

Delaeney shook her head before smiling at the man at the concession stand. He was cute, Delaeney wasn't going to deny that. With a charming smile and bright blue eyes, there was no doubt in her mind that he was popular with the ladies.

"Hi, what can I get you?" The guy—Charlie—said, leaning lazily against the counter, and Delaeney couldn't stop the smile from crossing her face.

"One water, please." Delaeney said, flashing Charlie a cute smile. A smile that normally got her a phone number.

"For such a beautiful girl, of course." Charlie flirted back before turning around and grabbing one of the waters from the cooler next to him. Delaeney flashed him another smile as she graciously took the water, letting their fingers brush, and handed him the money.

"Thanks," Delaeney said, turning and heading back towards the chairs. Moving the water bottle to her other hand, she smirked to herself. Charlie was sly, she'd admit that. For a moment, she thought that he wasn't going to buy the smile.

But she should've known better than to doubt herself.

She could feel Axl's glare and smiled smugly at him. He could snog as many girls as he liked, but he knew that she always got more phone numbers than he did. Merely inches away from her chair, Delaeney gasped as she tripped over a leg… a leg that hadn't been there moments before.

Sputtering, Delaeney swam up to the surface of the pool and glared at Axl, chucking her water bottle at him and feeling a bit of satisfaction when it hit his arm.

"You jerk! Why'd you do that?" Delaeney fumed as she pulled herself out of the pool and twisted the water out of her hair.

Shrugging at her, Axl turned his attention back towards the pool but Delaeney could see the hint of a smirk on his face. Grabbing her water bottle, Delaeney unscrewed the cap and smirked as Axl jumped as the water splashed down his back.

Two could play this game.

Confidently sipping what was left of her water, Delaeney placed it down and smiled at Axl.

"Wasn't that just so refreshing?"

~8~

Once again, Delaeney sat at the poolside and watched as Sue swam out of the swimmers lane and into the children one, crashing into Brick and Delaeney winced as Brick dropped the library book into the pool. Seconds later, the tornado alarm sounded and Delaeney rolled her eyes. Of course this would happen.

Turning to her side, Delaeney grimaced as she came face to face with Axl making out with a girl. Delaeney tilted her head, she was pretty sure that he was kissing Cathleen. A girl that was in her chemistry class and his English class.

"Get a room please," Delaeney teased pretending to throw up in her mouth, although she didn't understand why her stomach was churning as much as it was. It wasn't like this was the first time Axl made out in front of her.

Axl pulled away from Cathleen for a moment, just to glare at her and Delaeney rolled her eyes before walking towards Frankie and Mike. There was no way in hell that she was going to continue to stand next to him if he was just going to make out with a girl

~8~

The family huddled inside the storm shelter as the tornado raged on and Delaeney sat as far from Axl as she could. She was annoyed with Axl's early actions. He knew that it made her uncomfortable when people made out in front of her,and that she thought it was extremely rude. She ignored him when he glanced at her, staring at the ground and counting the cracks in the concrete.

"Mom, are we gonna be okay?" Sue asked looking at Frankie, fear filling her eyes.

"I don't know. I don't know if we are gonna be okay, Sue. I really don't. Frankly, I have no evidence that we will be." Frankie sighed, her shoulders slumping as she stared at her family, unsure of what to say to them.

"That's not what you're supposed to say." Delaeney voiced, her heart beating anxiously in her chest at Frankie's words. Frankie always made sure that everything was okay, she couldn't give up on them now.

"Oh, I know. I know. I'm supposed to pick you all up and tell you everything's gonna be fine. But you know what? I don't know anymore! You want to know the truth? Your dad's big on truth," Frankie started, "Basically, our lives suck right now. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. We can't afford a new dryer. We can't afford unexpired food. I can't even afford the LCD light-up angel I ordered on the TV to surprise you all at Christmas."

Delaeney furrowed her brows in concern as she watched Frankie slowly unravel herself. All of Frankie's fears and insecurities were finally coming into the light and Delaeney felt horrible. All this time, she had been relying on Frankie to make it better when Frankie had no one to tell her that it was going to be okay.

"Mom," Delaeney cut her off, smiling softly at Frankie, "Everything will be fine."

"Yeah, Frankie. We'll get through."

 _Who knew I was living with my own personal cheerleader? Mike and Laynee were right. We would get through, same as always._

~8~

They all walked onto the front lawn as Frankie talked about how 'if they all had each other than everything would be fine'.

"Cause there's nothing more important than—Holy crap! Is that a dryer? You see it too, right Mike? The tornado gave us a dryer," Frankie praised as they spotted a brand new dryer on their lawn, looking unharmed.

"Quick. Get it inside before anybody sees. Oh, my!"

 _Our luck started to turn around after that. Some stupid bank actually approved us for a brand-new Credit Cars, so we paid off Brick's library fines. We were actually able to afford contacts for Sue, and she actually made the swim team—well, 34thalternate. Also, Laynee's parent's finally sent the check and I nearly had a heart attack when I saw it—$900,000!_

 _And the best part of the new Credit Card? No payments till 2012. And I'm sure by 2012, everything's gonna be great! Okay. See, this is why you never give up hope—because anything is possible. I mean, you never know what's gonna happen. You just gotta hang in there and believe and—_

"Hot damn! There's even clothes in there!"


End file.
